He said his role in the force – geographically the largest in Britain – was going to be a challenging one at a time when it faces major financial constraints, having to find savings of £13m each year.

As well as maintaining a focus on reducing crime and bringing people to justice, he said better use of taxpayers money was needed, with a focus on spending on frontline services.

“This is a difficult and challenging time for the police service across the whole of the country.

“There are a number of functions in the police service that we can do in a different way.

“We need to work smarter and to remove some of the processes that have been built up over the years withe the additional costs that they bring with them.

“There are more efficient ways of delivering some of the support functions that are necessary to support an organisation but are not the core reason for it being there.”

Mr Prince said he could not rule out future redundancies as part of the efficiency drive.

“I need to review where the force is at the present time to make sure it is structured and fit for purpose before I can answer questions about redundancies but clearly in light of the situation we are in, it would not be right to rule out the possibility that there are likely to be fewer people as a whole by Dyfed Powys Police in the future.”

The new chief constable was selected from among three candidates including Jackie Roberts, who stood as temporary Chief Constable at Dyfed-Powys Police and Nick Ingram, Deputy Chief Constable.

Mr Prince came out on top during a “rigorous selection process involving a strong field of candidates”, the force’s Police and Crime Commissioner Christopher Salmon said.

A spokeswoman for the Association of Chief Police Officers confirmed that it was rare for an Assistant Chief Constable to take command without serving as a deputy, although it had happened under the former police authority governance regime.

Mr Salmon said it was unusual but said Mr Prince selection was a unanimous decision.

“It is unusual but from my point of view I wanted somebody who would lead the fight against crime, someone who could build a team and lead that team in Dyfed Powys and someone who understood the needs of communities across Dyfed Powys, from Welshpool to Milford Haven, Llanelli and Aberystwyth all huge areas.

“The recruitment process tested all the attributes we were looking for and the panel was unanimous on this appointment.”

An officer with more than two decades of service, Mr Prince joined Gwent Police in 1990.

In 2007 the married father worked on a programme to overhaul the force’s divisional structure, a move credited with allowing it to increase the number of officers in neighbourhood teams.

Mr Prince has also worked closely with the Welsh Government to introduce an additional 500 PCSOs across the country.

In addition, he commands the joint firearms unit that serves Dyfed-Powys, Gwent and South Wales Police.

The appointment comes almost nine months after Police chief constable Ian Arundale stood down – less than four years after taking up the post.

Mr Arundale said his time at the force was the “most challenging” in its history as it faces huge government-imposed cuts.

At the time of his retirement, he said: “The last four years have probably been the most challenging in the history of Dyfed-Powys Police.”

Mr Arundale was appointed to the role of Dyfed-Powys Police chief constable in 2008 after the controversial departure of his predecessor Terry Grange.